Are You Wasting Money On Supplements Against Heart Disease?

According to a recent study, Americans are wasting money on supplements intended to prevent heart disease. How strong is the evidence? Obtain more information.

What Exactly Did the Research Show?

Let's start off by getting one thing clear. The effect of nutritional supplements on heart disease was not actually investigated by the study in question! It was a modest investigation named SPORT (Supplements, Placebo or Rosuvastatin Study). 190 volunteers finished the experiment. At the beginning of the study, their LDL cholesterol ranged between 70 and 189 mg/dL.

The individuals were divided into eight groups at random by the researchers. That indicates that each group had a little over twenty members. The investigation took 28 days. They measured triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and other blood lipids.

Rosuvastatin (Crestor) reduced LDL cholesterol by 38%, which is not surprising. Statins unquestionably reduce LDL cholesterol. Over the course of the month-long study, none of the supplements had a significant effect on lipid levels.

Spending Money On Supplements In Vain?

According to the researchers, patient choice for non-statin alternatives is multifaceted and somewhat influenced by beliefs about the hepatotoxicity, muscular complaints, and neurological side effects of statins. The US public is discouraged from taking well-regulated, affordable, safe, and potentially life-saving medication because of the lack of government control of supplements and their benefits claims, as well as the prevalence of statin disinformation. Despite the fact that dietary supplements are frequently used to support healthy cholesterol levels, there is no evidence of their effectiveness or safety, particularly when compared to statin therapy.

In other words, they come to the conclusion that consumers are wasting money on supplements: "These findings do not support the 'cholesterol health' claims by supplement manufacturers. The lack of efficacy that these supplements have on significant cardiovascular risk factors should be explained to the patient.

What the Study Did Not Cover: Heart disease itself was not covered in this study. The results of a 28-day study cannot be used to predict outcomes that are important to people, such as heart attacks, strokes, or any other heart disease complications. More importantly, a study of this length was unable to establish whether statins work to prevent deaths. They do?

Cardiologists Love Statins: Cardiologists have boasted that statins have saved hundreds of thousands of lives in interviews related to this study. Do the facts back up that assertion? Do statins reduce fatalities in people who are otherwise healthy (primary prevention)? These are persons who may have high lipid levels but do not now exhibit any symptoms of heart disease.

26 trials on the use of statins for the primary prevention of heart disease were examined by the US Preventive Services Task Force. Although there was no statistically significant difference in the death rate from heart disease among those taking statins, it was concluded that those taking them have a slightly lower likelihood of dying prematurely.

When cardiologists advocate the use of statins for the primary prevention of heart disease, that is rarely stated.

Our Opinion

In our analysis of the data, we came up with the following:

It suggests that doctors give statins to healthy individuals between the ages of 40 and 75 who have at least one risk factor, as this will reduce their likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease.

This issue has been covered in our writing on numerous occasions.

LDL Cholesterol Is NOT the Only Heart Disease Risk Factor!

LDL cholesterol has received practically all of the attention from cardiologists as the main risk factor for heart disease. Yet there are numerous additional contributors. Lp(a), commonly referred to as lipoprotein an or "Lp small a," is one of significance.

High amounts of this little sticky protein are present in one-fifth of the population. We consider Lp whenever we learn about a family with a history of heart attacks (a). In fact, statins increase this risk factor. This has been referred to as "an uncomfortable fact." One of the few options for reducing this dangerous substance at the moment is a dietary supplement. Niacin, a vitamin B3 that is prescribed in high doses, must unavoidably be regarded as a drug.